Sneaker Crushing – Olga Millar

Sneakers are trending globally ATM, driving some amazing new looks in style. Olga Millar’s sneaker crushing and she’s found you some little beauties…

Ahhhh, comfortable and fashionable shoes…. they do exist! All thanks to the global phenomenon of sneaker crushing ATM! What once used to be the shoe uniform of athletes is now the must have item in every fashionistas wardrobe, or should I say shoe closet? Every designer house these days has a range of sneakers. It all started with Dior fusion’s and never really ended. For those of you who aren’t yet sneaker crushing, hold on, it might hit you in a minute or two.

Pharrel Williams Swarovski Adidas Sneakers

This is great news for fashionistas who want comfort as well as style, let’s face it, there’s a time and place for those Nikes and yes, in my opinion it’s defnitely the gym 🙂 On the other hand, Adidas have caught up with the times or have actually gone back in time and made their sneakers a fashion trend including Yeezys, Superstar Originals in all those yummy colours and now Gazelle. The Gazelles are something I remember my mum wearing with a terry Adidas track suit and massive aviators back in the 80s when she was a professional athlete and back in the USSR days they were über cool just like today!

Now we wear sneakers with everything: shirt dresses, tulle skirts, and the list goes on ! So it’s a trend I couldn’t go past without recommending some funky ones.
Starting with a Greek label called Celdes, which stands for Celebrity Destinations. They create unique casual canvas sneakers with images from world-wide celebrity destinations. Scenery printed on them include shots from Greece, France, Spain, The Netherlands, Italy, Cyprus, Portugal, Africa, Cuba, Miami, Mexico, Carribean, Latin America and the USA. Mesmerising blue domes of churches in Santorini, bridges and gondolas in Venice and iconic retro taxis of Cuba all feature. So you can go around the world in one shoe ☺

The next lot that’s worth a mention are the Josephina’s Portugal Louise sneakers available from josephinas.com. These are not only hand made in Portugal but are becoming increasingly popular among the fashionistas, magazine editors and bloggers. The thing that attracted me is the faux FUR!!! And the fur can be changed, you just order a couple of colours to suit your mood on the day. My pick would be Sky blue and dark red fur on the dusty pink sneakers.

Our next stop is Finland and a designer called Minna Parikka whose obsession with bunny ears and tails goes further than the Playboy level. Minna’s philosophy is hard for me to disagree with and is based on the fact that “shoes – unlike clothes – don’t have to be inhabited by a body in order to look attractive. When they’re beautiful in their own right, and a then a woman steps into them – that’s when the magic happens. The right shoes can change how she looks, feels and is seen by others. As objects of desire for women and men, shoes aren’t just symbols of power – they’re the Holy Grail.” So, down the rabbit hole we go with Minna. They’re also available at Asos.

Next in line is a brand from Venice: Golden Goose Deluxe Brand. Not to be confused with Grey Goose, they added “Deluxe Brand” to their name for this reason. Their sneakers became somewhat of a want object by fashion addicts around the globe. They have that mix of converse stars, dirty soles and luxury leather mixed together well, especially when they add bling, making their sneakers a work of art. They’re available at NET-A-PORTER, Matches Fashion or Far Fetch.

And I saved the quirkiest ones from my sneaker crush for last… As I was on the search for the most unusual sneakers in the endless universe of the internet, I found these babies from another galaxy! “My the force be with you” as we present the Irregular Choice Star Wars R-series sneakers. You can step into the Dark Side with the Vader’s or join the Rebel Alliance with the Artoo’s. These strangely adorable pairs are available from Shoe Fun.

John bon Jovi once said “You don’t need fancy sneakers to run fast”, I do agree, with a tiny note, you need the ones that turn heads ☺